NY DMV says facial recognition technology is working

The use by the State of New York DMV of facial recognition technology has been instrumental in identifying more than 1,000 cases of possible fraud, according to state officials; more than 100 felony arrests have been made so far, including an Egyptian citizen holding four New York licenses under separate names, one of which was on the federal “no-fly” list, and a former hit man who sought to establish a second identity after release from prison

The initial results of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ use of facial recognition technology to identify fraud cases, which began last February, has been instrumental in identifying more than 1,000 cases of possible fraud, according to state officials.

The Chroniclereports that facial recognition software is used by the DMV to help identify persons who try to obtain more than one driver license or non-driver identification document. The system is designed to advance DMV’s goal of “one driver, one license.” Those seeking a second identity document may be trying to evade license suspensions, steal an identity, commit financial fraud, or present a false identity to law enforcement or transportation security officials.

The software converts DMV’s digital facial photographs into mathematical algorithms to be reviewed by trained staff. This review includes new photos taken each day at the DMV, as well as about fifteen million photos already in DMV’s database.

As a result, more than 100 felony arrests have been made so far. Arrests have included an Egyptian citizen holding four New York licenses under separate names, one of which was on the Federal “no-fly” list, and a former hit man who sought to establish a second identity after release from prison. In April, DMV’s facial recognition program identified an individual wanted for a 1990’s-era bank robbery in Nassau County. As a result, the individual was arrested by the Nassau County Police Department. Others charged have had license suspensions or a large number of tickets and accidents under multiple identities.